How to Clean and Care for Violin Strings: Routine Maintenance and Troubleshooting

A helpful guide on how to clean violin strings.

Have you noticed thick white dust on your violin strings? Do your strings sound better? Cleaning the strings is an important part of daily maintenance of the violin. Today I will teach you how!

Why do we need to clean strings?

Clean strings resonate more easily and have a more direct sound. If you've been playing with dirty strings filled with rosin, you'll hear a noticeable difference in the sound of your violin with just a little cleaning!

Clumped rosin can also feel sticky on the strings, and if the rosin sticks to the wood underneath the strings, it can eat away at the violin varnish, leaving you with a costly repair bill.Cleaning your violin strings regularly will help avoid many problems and keep your instrument in top playing condition!

Step-by-Step Guide to Cleaning Violin Strings

Before you start cleaning the strings, remember that violins are made of wood and are very fragile. If you have an antique violin or a very expensive instrument, take extra care and give it to a professional for regular maintenance.

Step 1: Wash your hands

Even if it's just for playing, make sure your hands are clean before touching the violin. The natural oils and dirt on our hands can wear down a violin's varnish and also react with excess rosin dust on the instrument.

Step Two: Wipe the Strings

First, gently wipe the entire length of each violin string with a dry microfiber cloth. You'll also want to wipe down the body of the instrument underneath the strings, I also like to shake a microfiber cloth between the fretboard and strings to clean any rosin buildup there.

If you wipe your strings with a clean cloth at the end of each playing day, you'll reduce rosin buildup and eliminate the need to do more to keep your strings and instrument clean. That’s why a duster is on my list of top violin accessories!

When cleaning strings with a cloth, Ifrom top to bottomStart with: first the strings themselves, then the fretboard, and finally the body of the instrument. When you clean the strings, the rosin will fall onto the fretboard and body. I find that working from the top down is the most effective method.

If cleaning with a dry cloth removes all the rosin, you're good to go! If your strings are still dirty, continue to the next step.

Step 3: Try a credit card

If cleaning with a cloth doesn't remove all the buildup, some musicians will instead use something more abrasive, such as steel wool. I recommend against using this method because steel wool can damage the winding of the strings.

Instead, try a plastic card (such as an expired credit card or used gift card)Gently scrape off the string.You want the plastic one, not the metal one. Scratching the strings with such an object is abrasive enough to remove the rosin, but not enough to damage the strings themselves.

After you've scraped off the string, wipe it again with a microfiber cloth to remove any loosened dust.

Step Four: Use Violin Cleaning Products

If your strings are still dirty or you don't have plastic cards, try usingCleaning products specifically designed for violins.

It is very important to only use products made from stringed instruments on violins. Different chemicals and liquid solvents can react severely with a violin's wood and varnish, resulting in damage to the instrument and costly repairs.

Please avoid using rubbing alcohol, pure alcohol, and any other chemicals not formulated for string instruments on your violin. Some musicians do clean the strings with a small amount of alcohol on a cloth and turn the violin upside down to avoid getting it on the wood. However, this is very risky and many people have ruined their violin's varnish by doing this. I say, avoid chemicals at all costs!

To clean strings, I recommend trying Old Master String Cleaner, Nature Works String Cleaner, or Petz Rosin Remover. These products are generally safe to use on all parts of a violin, including the strings and body. These cleaning solutions remove rosin, dirt, and grease and keep surfaces shiny.

troubleshooting

I notice excessive rosin buildup every time I play

If you regularly notice a large build-up of rosin on your strings, thenYou may be using more rosin than you actually need. Try to use rosin often, but only a small amount at a time. If you notice clouds of rosin billowing out while you're playing, you're using too much rosin.

If you notice too much rosin on your bow hairs, loosen the hairs, take a clean toothbrush, and brush it through the hairs. Tighten the bow and try playing again to see if it feels better. Repeat if necessary.

It's normal to have some excess rosin and dust on the strings and bridge, but it's extreme to find a thick layer of rosin on your instrument after every practice session. Follow the steps above to remove excess rosin from your strings, and try using less rosin on your bow from now on.

My strings don't sound as good as they used to

While regular cleaning of violin strings can help extend their life, strings wear out over time. Depending on how long you've had this set of strings, and how dirty they are, you may want to consider replacing the strings. Check to see if there are any signs that your strings are worn, and if so, you can follow my step-by-step guide to replacing them.

Once you have new strings on your violin, try cleaning them frequently using the tips I've shared in this article to keep them performing at their best! Regularly cleaned strings last longer than dirty strings.

frequently asked questions

Can violin strings be cleaned with water?

No, please avoid putting water near your violin. Violins are made of wood, and water will quickly deform and rot the wood. Rosin is not soluble in water, so using a damp cloth won't help.

It's best to wipe the rope gently with a dry microfiber cloth. This should be all you need to clean up rosin residue. If that's not enough for you, try products made specifically for violins, like The Old Master.

Why are my violin strings sticky?

If your violin strings feel tacky, you may have rosin buildup on them. Rosin produces dust in dry conditions but becomes sticky in high humidity and/or heat. If the strings are sticky near the bridge and the rosin dust has been building up for a long time, it may melt slightly and stick to the strings.

I recommend wiping the strings with a dry cloth first, and if they still feel sticky, try a more aggressive method, such as gently pressing the strings with a plastic credit card, or using a rosin remover. Then, wipe the strings with a dry cloth again and your strings will feel like new!

If the strings feel sticky in the area of the fretboard where you play with your left hand, it could be rosin, or a buildup from playing with sticky hands. Clean violin strings with a dry cloth and wash your hands before playing!

Can I use alcohol wipes to wipe my strings?

It’s best to clean your strings with a dry cloth every day to avoid this altogether. Routine maintenance will prevent you from doing anything drastic!

How to clean a dirty microfiber cloth?

After a while, you may notice that the cloth you use to clean your violin strings has a sticky rosin residue left on it. Once the rosin is noticeable, you'll need to clean the cloth, as using a dirty cloth is counterproductive. Just use other cleaning rags to clean it.

Note that rosin is difficult to remove from fabrics. Once, I stepped on a piece of rosin in my socks. No matter how many times I washed them, the rosin didn't come out! But if your cloth has rosin dust on it, rather than rosin clumps, it should be relatively clean when you wash it.

I don't wash cloths with clothes to prevent rosin residue from transferring to other items in the load.